John Murphy (Lowe, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I can certainly go to a higher authority. I am not sure whether the member for Wide Bay was at a luncheon in February, to which we were all invited in this place, when the head of the WTO, Mr Pascal Lamy, gave a very erudite presentation on the history of the Doha Round. I thought it very significant, and I am glad the minister is here, when he said that if he had had 153 Simon Creans, referring to the 153 member countries of the WTO, the Doha Round would have been concluded within 18 months. Well done, Minister.

We are all interested in the successful conclusion of the Doha Round and we all know what a significant benefit it will be to the global economy. On this very important topic I would like to take the opportunity to ask the minister how the resources of the trade portfolio are helping with the progress of Doha and the successful conclusion of those negotiations through the WTO.

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